Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Facts for a healthier tomorrow

At Cook County Health & Hospitals System, we are committed to providing care within our capabilities to all patients regardless of race, color, gender, religion, physical or mental disability, national origin, age, culture, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran and/or the ability to pay. We want to work with you to make sure you receive the care you need and deserve.

You have the right to polite, respectful, quality care, including the right:

To be treated with dignity and respect in a place that is safe and healing.

To access health care that is available and meets our mission and legal requirements.

To receive up-to-date information about your care and health condition in terms that you can understand.

To receive skilled and compassionate care from each member of our staff and to have your cultural, spiritual and personal values, beliefs, and preferences respected no matter who you are, where you are from, or what you believe.

To receive health care for your whole self, body, and mind, including having your pain measured and managed.

To ask for translation services, including sign language (or other methods that meet your visual, speech or hearing conditions), so that you can understand information about your health care.

To receive information about medical costs that you may be responsible for paying and any insurance limits. You may also ask for information about resources for financial assistance.

To a timely and reasonable response to questions and service requests.

You have the right to know about your treatment and the healthcare team, including the right:

To have a family member or representative of your choice and your own doctor promptly notified of your admission.

To know the names and roles of the team members involved in your care.

To participate in your care plan process in a way that you understand.

To receive information regarding your medical diagnosis, procedures, treatment, and prospects for recovery, including any risks or complications involved and any unanticipated outcomes.

To refuse to give your consent for treatment or services, if you have not received information that you understand.

To be free from restraints or seclusion unless the use of these methods is necessary for medical or safety purposes.

To continual care, including information about the care recommended for you after your discharge.

To use any of our educational resources to understand the different parts of your care.

To receive a complete explanation of the need for you to transfer to another facility or organization, including options besides a transfer. The transfer must be accepted by the other facility or organization.

To refuse a transfer to another facility or organization.

To receive information on our policies related to your hospitalization or treatment.

You have the right to make decisions about your care, including:

To decide whether you want to consent to treatment, care and services.

To withdraw your consent at any time, as allowed by law, after being informed of the consequences of this decision during your treatment.

To request a second opinion from another physician.

To ask family, including your same sex partner or decision maker, or appoint a representative to help you make health care decisions.

To be given written information about advance directives and to get help from hospital staff to create, review, or change an advance directive. Advance directives provide doctors and staff with your wishes about your care when you are not able to communicate that to us. This right applies at any time during your treatment.

To make decisions about your health care at the end of life. We support you and your family or representative. This includes the right to make decisions about when to receive life-saving services, including the right to not use life-sustaining medical treatment as allowable by law. These decisions may be changed at any time during your treatment.

To have your organ donation wishes followed in line with our legal responsibilities and resources.

You have the right to receive information about any research or educational activities related to your care, including:

Information about the purpose of the research.

The expected length of time that you will participate.

A clear description of the procedures to be followed.

A statement of the potential benefits, risks, discomforts, and side effects.

Information about alternative care, treatment, and services available to you that may help your health.

The right to refuse to participate in any research or educational activity and to know that the quality of the care you receive will not change because you do not participate.

The right to withdraw your consent, at any time, to participate in research or educational activity.

You have the right to privacy, including the right:

To have your personal privacy respected. Your care, examination, treatment, and meetings with staff should be confidential and discreet and your personal preferences will be honored.

To personal security, including access to protective or advocacy services.

To be free from all forms of neglect, abuse, exploitation, or harassment.

To receive information about our visitation rights policy and choose the visitors you would like to see, including a spouse, domestic partner, same sex partner, or a family member or friend, unless visitors interfere with your medical condition or treatment. You may refuse visitors or calls at any time.

To receive our Notice of Privacy Practices.

To expect that all communication and records related to your care will be treated as confidential, as allowable by law.

To request a copy of your medical records from our facilities and request a change be made to your record, as allowable by law.

To request information about how your medical information has been shared or disclosed, as allowable by law.

To review a line by line copy of your medical bill and have it explained.

You have the right to file a complaint or grievance and to be given information on our process for resolving complaints or grievances and the contact name and information for where to file a grievance or complaint.

Patient Responsibilities

To help us provide you with quality healthcare, you have a responsibility:

To provide us with complete and accurate information about your health, including illnesses you have now or had in the past, pain, medications, allergies, vitamin, and home remedies you use.

To follow your recommended treatment plan and instructions.

To ask questions when you have them and to tell your doctor or nurse if you do not understand any part of the care provided or your care plan.

To tell any member of your health care team about any unhappiness you may have with the care provided.

To respect the rights, property and privacy of other patients and their families.

To respect our property and facilities. Do not get in the way of hospital operations.

To conduct all your interactions with our staff, patients and visitors in a respectful and polite manner. Please do not use inappropriate, harmful, threatening, rude, harassing, abusive, violent or discriminatory language and behavior.

To keep appointments, and when you are not able to make an appointment for any reason, to notify your provider.

To make sure any financial obligations for your care are met to the maximum extent possible.

To accept the consequences resulting from not following the recommended plan of care.

To follow the NO SMOKING rule.

Nondiscrimination Statement

Discrimination is against the law. Cook County Health & Hospitals System (CCHHS) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. CCHHS does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

CCHHS:

Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:

Qualified sign language interpreters

Written information in other formats (large print, audio, accessible electronic formats, other formats)

Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:

Qualified interpreters

Information written in other languages

If you need these services, please contact Department of Patient Relations at CCHHS: Phone: 312-864-0185.

If you believe that CCHHS has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with:

Cook County Health and HospitalsDepartment of Patient Relations

You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or via our website. If you need help filing a grievance, the CCHHS Grievance & Appeals Coordinator is available to help you:

Attn: Constance Toliver

1969 W. Ogden Avenue, Suite 1280

Chicago, IL 60612

Phone: 312-864-0185

Fax: 312-864-9119

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at: